tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109558752011-07-07T16:32:05.046-07:00Christnomos: the manifold beauty of the gospelto reconcile to himself all things... making peace by the blood of his cross.samuel jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10206345136546155860noreply@blogger.comBlogger251100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10955875.post-14309347015789263432009-12-29T13:14:00.001-08:002009-12-29T13:14:20.423-08:00Pray for the Persecuted Church in EritreaIf you are in Christ, these are our brothers and sisters – this is hard and humbling. They are such an encouragement, bringing glory to Jesus and living out John 11:25-26"Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?"Hebrews 13:3 – "Remember those samuel jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10206345136546155860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10955875.post-47645458167203130522009-12-08T14:05:00.001-08:002009-12-08T14:05:34.562-08:00I’ve never been more impressed with leaders who aren’t the least bit impressed with themselves…So, this article delivered a hit today, like I-just-felt-that-in-my-stomach kind of hit.It's a strange feeling when someone writes something that encapsulates an inner soul stirring, and articulates it better than you could. This is my inner struggle to pair the head-knowledge of the gospel with a passionate delight in that same reality – with a love for the music. "Gospel astonishment versus samuel jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10206345136546155860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10955875.post-90587476128143856372009-12-04T17:25:00.000-08:002009-12-04T17:25:25.428-08:00Matt Chandler: tested and proven - that Jesus is enough.A short observation;
I am a younger servant, at a church where many older saints have suffered very well. I've often said that if I ever enter into such suffering myself, that I hope I'll be that kind of person who points to Jesus and his glorious sufficiency.
I learned to hope for this, from Matt Chandler - who this week has entered into his own suffering and has been given grace to proclaim samuel jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10206345136546155860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10955875.post-49237195441920527972009-09-26T09:47:00.001-07:002009-09-26T10:06:19.093-07:00Call to PrayerIf you would like to be in prayer for CCC, here is what we are asking God for at CCC. This is copied from our Call to Prayer handout.
opening passages:
Psalm 37:1-7
1Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! 2For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. 3Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. 4Delight samuel jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10206345136546155860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10955875.post-69189631945304362882009-09-11T01:48:00.001-07:002009-09-11T15:29:38.336-07:00Gospel-CenteredEverything in existence has a reference point in terms of its relatedness to God. Sin has caused all creation to be out of proper relationship with God’s character and being. As sinful beings we are out of relationship – “separated from God”. Sin causes death. We're all sinners, and we'll all eventually die.
Jesus wasn't a sinner, but he died, and in his death he conquered sin. Death samuel jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10206345136546155860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10955875.post-43641030487860941832009-09-11T01:47:00.001-07:002009-09-11T22:21:12.353-07:00Missional Leadership
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samuel jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10206345136546155860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10955875.post-61942108663023627122009-09-11T01:46:00.001-07:002009-09-11T17:40:08.219-07:00Missional CommunitiesThe term “missional”1 is a ministry buzzword that is currently used to describe all manner of vision and mission fulfillment in all sorts of churches and denominations. In my meaning of the term, and originally, “missional” is an adjective which describes the host of values, priorities, emphases and resultant strategies that come from embracing a “missionary approach” to all of ordinary life andsamuel jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10206345136546155860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10955875.post-12782948972518223582009-09-11T01:45:00.001-07:002009-09-11T14:38:29.571-07:00The Gospel
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samuel jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10206345136546155860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10955875.post-17773888600436902652009-09-05T09:44:00.001-07:002009-09-05T09:47:37.354-07:00The ShackYou would make fun of me if I you knew how slowly I read.
I've taken to reading more fiction lately and I'm learning to read a little more quickly. Tom Clancy is really fun. I wanna be like Jack Ryan sometimes…
So, I haven't made it to reading the Shack yet.
But in reading about the shack, and its being so popular that I haven't even had to read it myself because I've had others read it tosamuel jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10206345136546155860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10955875.post-72766463998229757152009-09-04T17:28:00.001-07:002009-09-04T18:10:57.898-07:00what happened...Two thousand years ago, God wrote himself into human history in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.
He lived a perfect life, yet many people did not recognize him. He was killed by those people.
Three days after his murder, he rose from the dead.
Sin causes death. We're all sinners, and we'll all eventually die. Jesus wasn't a sinner, but he died and then conquered sin. It couldn't hold him down.samuel jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10206345136546155860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10955875.post-45523781794728902962009-09-04T11:26:00.001-07:002009-09-04T11:26:44.375-07:00Men Like Trees WalkingLast night I taught through one of my favorite chapters in the bible.That sounds weird - a favorite chapter?You better believe it, just act like you know… this is really cool.See, the people who wrote books of the bible didn't fall into a trance and pull a "Stairway to Heaven" and mysteriously produce a bunch of stories.Things are written in the order that they are, to make a point.So Mark 8; samuel jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10206345136546155860noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10955875.post-30589808341906663662009-08-28T17:31:00.001-07:002009-08-28T17:31:47.629-07:00Playing around in Genesis… true parables.So, I'm thinking about stories. Not fake stories, but real stories, that really happened. Real, stories, with real meaning.Stories - that have nothing to do with postmortem-postmodern ideas of seeing-through-everything-so-as-to-see-nothing-and-so-we-make-stories-say-whatever-we-want… kind of stuff.I want to GRASP the meaning of a story, as it really is meant to be taken and seen. So, as to seesamuel jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10206345136546155860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10955875.post-84060819013014224012009-02-20T13:00:00.000-08:002009-02-20T15:03:54.386-08:00Afraid to Dance?Several times in my life I have overcome my own dignity, and danced. "Dance like nobody is watching", I've heard. The invitation to hear and respond, to be silly, and expressive, and to be transparent... all for the fun of it. Pure joy is offered to all who get over themselves.Does this remind anyone of the Story?samuel jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10206345136546155860noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10955875.post-48152639431652125662008-12-18T17:36:00.000-08:002008-12-18T18:05:24.269-08:00lesser thingsThere comes a certain point in... i dunno... life, where we begin to think big thoughts about why we think we're here.Am I supposed to just carry on in the same direction as most people?Do well in school, get into a good college? What is going to make me happy? Rock in college and get a good job? Will money keep me comfortable? Long term goalBuy a house in the burbs, settle down, make more samuel jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10206345136546155860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10955875.post-16256999270389466772008-10-11T14:06:00.000-07:002008-10-11T14:08:43.921-07:00gospel-conversation-izingSo, I ran into this series of clips posted by the Gospel Coalition peeps (http://theologica.blogspot.com/2008/10/conversation-tim-keller-john-piper-da.html)After peeking over these guys shoulder into a conversation I’d die to be a part of, I get all stirred up, and then sometimes its hard to end well. I find that sometimes I can pursue the ends of these thoughts as if the goal were justificationsamuel jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10206345136546155860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10955875.post-18080751283975768142008-09-19T15:50:00.000-07:002008-09-19T15:56:43.245-07:00biblical excitementSo, when people you greatly greatly respect start getting all excited together about a study bible, it just makes you wonder. Piper, Grudem, Packer, Carson, Driscoll, Dever, Mahaney, Harris, such unqualified praise... wowESV Study Bible is coming...samuel jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10206345136546155860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10955875.post-18459916331893389822008-09-17T17:07:00.000-07:002008-09-17T17:10:43.776-07:00believing the news?<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if !mso]> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } <![endif]--> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; samuel jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10206345136546155860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10955875.post-83311185052303916182008-08-04T11:49:00.000-07:002008-08-04T11:54:32.679-07:00The Story of Isaac, part 6But a broken heart is a strange thing. See, grace truly is what we pretty much think it is, and then something large goes down, and then grace becomes something more... and what we knew is still the same truth, but different too.So, when Isaac almost dies right in front of me, Chris and I, we find ourselves in the shelter of the Kingdom of God. Four touch-and-go days later, we get a report. samuel jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10206345136546155860noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10955875.post-11404519666331508082008-08-04T11:41:00.000-07:002009-09-11T17:47:16.535-07:00The Story of Isaac, part 5Three nights sleeping on a lobby floor.
Chris BP eventually stops spiking. So she gets her own room. Tennis is on the t.v. The nurse makes her turn it off. Every serve causes her BP to jump.Prayer.Its easy to pray in these times. Grace is, there's no words, overwhelming? You literally burn it as fuel for existence. I cant spend the night in the room, and so sleep again in the lobby. The samuel jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10206345136546155860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10955875.post-45179275045307441402008-08-04T11:35:00.000-07:002008-08-04T11:40:30.697-07:00The Story of Isaac, part 4Friday May 28th, 2004.Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit. NICU. Its pronounced Nick-u.The hours that Chris is asleep are spent watching over Isaac. Meeting cheerful nurses, consulting with doctors, trying to witness to our social worker. The family sees Isaac. I run out of clothes and begin to get fragrant. UCSD Hillcrest is about 35 minutes from our home God is truly our Great Physician. Hes samuel jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10206345136546155860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10955875.post-49212160205015340122008-08-04T11:24:00.000-07:002008-08-04T11:30:30.379-07:00The Story of Isaac, part 3Thursday May 27th, 2004 continued...Several cell phones are calling different churches, Prayer chains explode. I am sent back to our delivery room. Only thing delivered there were ice chips and later on some bad jello. Friends had decorated the room with pineapples, dvds to watch on a computer, and about 25 handmade get-well cards from an elementary school class our friend teaches, innocent samuel jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10206345136546155860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10955875.post-1109120130008314702005-02-22T16:42:00.000-08:002005-02-22T17:39:36.693-08:00The Story of Isaac Part 2Wedenesday May 26, 2004.Morning arrives. New nurses. Little sleep.Chris is hooked up to more wires than I can count. All the monitor bells and sensors, a BP cuff that goes off every 10 minutes - mightas well be alarm clocks. 24 hours of magnesium sulfate does strange things to a person - you can't drink a drop when you're on it, and it makes you hot and shivery at the same time.Its a scary last samuel jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10206345136546155860noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10955875.post-1109037582673413112005-02-21T17:44:00.000-08:002005-02-22T16:42:23.190-08:00The Story of Isaac, Part 1My shoulder is wet.I winced a few minutes ago, my finger was being chewed to bits.A slobbery hand reaches out and grabs my nose, gack... smile... I'm suprised by joy."Thhhhhhhppppllllerrrrrfffffssssssh." In case you aren't in the know, that was Isaac-speak for, "I'm happy to meet you."Tuesday May 25, 2004.Lunchtime. Chris and I are "getting out", on a ride down the coast, headed to a doctor's samuel jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10206345136546155860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10955875.post-1108949352289352332005-02-20T17:09:00.000-08:002007-01-12T16:58:13.528-08:00Conspiracy and CompetitionGod's "conspiracy" is one that I wonder about, in its work in our lives.Lost in a soccer game today and was left semi-pouting with a few friends, pretending to be a good sport, being dragged around by my heart, replaying things in my head, wanting to be the god of my indoor league. Pathetic, its a little kingdom, and where I don't even possess it fully I can imagine doing so, one minute I am a samuel jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10206345136546155860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10955875.post-1108889487307207442005-02-20T00:41:00.000-08:002005-02-21T00:35:16.886-08:00Opening - The Divine ConspiracyPULCHAR.VERITAS.BONUM.Someone is paying attention.The Light has shone, giving the knowledge of the glory of God in Jesus. Should that translate into a nomos - we would win. Alas the war was won on the cross - Jesus is Lord. So, head, heart, hands.Many have seen the light, but live as lost in a wine dark sea.I am one of these, yet there is a current afoot which bears the ring of Truth! A current samuel jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10206345136546155860noreply@blogger.com0